Diablo 2 Assassin: Best builds for Resurrected Season 8

Diablo 2’s Assassin lurks in the shadows with her arsenal of traps and weapons, so if you want to pick off your targets in Resurrected you’ll need to know which builds are the best.

One of the most mysterious classes in Diablo 2 Resurrected is the ominous Assassin, a new version of Rogue from Diablo 1, like the Amazon, but this one manipulates the shadows to her advantage. She also has an entire kit full of deadly weapons and keenly-devised traps, she’s quite the force to be reckoned with in the game.

So, here’s everything you need to master the elusive Assassin in Diablo 2 Resurrected, including the best builds to use to Diablo’s demonic hordes back to Hell. You can also see where the Assassin ranks this season in the tier list rankings.

Is the Assassin right for you?

It’s safe to say that the Assassin nurtures a high-risk-high-reward playstyle. Perfect for fearless players who are happy to one-shot their enemies and then vanish into the shadows, her kit is tailored to dealing a lot of damage per strike.

If you’re worried about getting torn to shreds because of how squishy she is, though, then we’d suggest going for the mighty Amazon instead.

Best Diablo 2 Assassin builds

The Assassin has two main build trees; the Trassassin, which focuses largely on traps and equipment, then the Martial Artist, which focuses on close-range hand-to-hand combat.

There are a few skills that transcend both of these, however. Putting one point into Tiger Strike is useful for taking down high-level enemies, and a few points into Burst of Speed and Claw Mastery helps you increase your Attack Rating regardless of what weapon you use.

We’ll start off looking at the Martial Arts tree, then move on to the Trassassin builds.

Martial Artist

Dragon Talon Kicksin

If you’re looking to get up close and personal with the forces of hell, we recommend running the Dragon Talon Kicksin build. A more Beginner Friendly Assassin, if built correctly this version can even take on the terrifying foes of Über Tristram without breaking a sweat.

You’ll need to drop 20 points into Dragon Talon and Death Sentry, as well as one of either Venom or Burst of Speed. Of the two, we advise Venom for the slow poison damage that it deals. In terms of Secondary skills, drop one point in Fade, and a few into Cobra Strike for some early game lifesteal.

For your attributes, be sure to level up Dexterity and Strength to the level required for the best items, then drop the rest of your points into Vitality. 

Vampire

Cloaked in shadows and ready to pounce, it’s little surprise that the Assassin’s Vampire build is high up this list. Perfect for players who want to get up close and personal with the hordes of hell, this build path relies on lifesteal.

Your primary skills are Shadow Master and Claw Mastery, with 20 points or more going into each. It’s also worth picking up Cobra Strike with 3 points, Burst of Speed with 7, and Weapon Block with 10.

Strength and Dexterity should be maxed to item level (or Dexterity: 75% block for shield users). Everything else goes into Vitality. 

Elementalist

Last on this list is the Elementalist. For those who really want to channel nature’s fury, we recommend the Druid or Sorceress, but the Assassin can also play the elemental game. This one doesn’t do much damage as the other builds, though, hence it slips down the tier list a little.

Players will be relying on spreading points between Fists of Fire, Phoenix Strike, Blades of Ice, and Claws of Thunder to do damage, alongside the usual Burst of Speed, Weapon Block, Fade, and Claw Mastery.

It’s a similar story in terms of attributes here. Strength and Dexterity need to be maxed to item level, and Vitality scoops up any remaining points.

Trassassin

Lightning Sentry

If you’re looking to lure enemies to their demise, then the Trap Assassin is perfect for you. The most powerful of these is the Lightning Trapper or Shockbringer.

With 20 points being dropped into Lightning Sentry, Death Sentry, and Wake of Inferno, you’re able to deal huge amounts of AoE damage and bat off enemies with electrical resistance. It’s also worth dropping a point into Burst of Speed and Cloak of Shadows, as well as 10 points into Shadow Master to help distract your enemies.

Just as with the Martial Arts Assassin, you’ll want to level out your Strength and Dexterity to item level, with everything else dropped into Vitality.

Hybrid Assassin

Monk

If you can’t choose between the Martial Artist and the Trassissin, then don’t worry! Monk is a hybrid build – and not to be confused with Diablo 3’s Monk – that utilizes skills from both trees. It relies on AoE damage, so make sure that your playstyle matches this.

Phoenix Strike and Dragon Talon will require 20 points each, with Death Sentry, Shadow Master, and Claw Mastery getting 19, 17, and 16 points respectively. Skills like Fade, Burst of Speed, and Cloak of Shadows are always worth dropping a point into.

As you’re pretty used to by this point, Strength and Dexterity just need to be maxed to item level, then Vitality takes the remaining points.

Remember there are various character classes in Diablo 2, including the Druid, the Necromancer, and the
Sorceress. You can also learn more about the Horadric Cube and Runewords.